AT LEAST nine people have died and 54 are injured after a stage collapsed at an election rally in Mexico last night.
Terrifying footage captured the moment strong winds whipped through the structure forcing it to break apart and crush victims trapped inside.
Video of the accident showed the structure suddenly falling forward into the crowd, sending the politicians on stage running for cover and panicked attendees screaming.
The governor of Mexico’s Nuevo Leon state Samuel Garcia said one child is among the dead.
He added that some of the injured are now stable but others are undergoing surgery.
Rescue operations continued until early this morning to save victims crushed beneath the stage in the northeastern city of San Pedro Garza García.
Governor Garcia warned residents: “If you can, avoid going out because there are storms and atypical winds. I will keep you informed.”
Winds of up to 43mph had been forecast for Wednesday.
Jorge Alvarez Maynez, the presidential candidate for the centrist Citizens’ Movement party, said: “I’ve never experienced something so sudden.”
“What we experienced happened in just a few seconds: A gale came, a sudden wind, and unfortunately, it collapsed the stage, resulting in a fatal accident,” he recalled.
Maynez, 38, was injured in the incident along with members of his election team and taken to hospital briefly.
The politician later said that he would suspend all campaign activities and that he would remain in the state to monitor the situation and the victims.
“We have to have solidarity, there is nothing that can repair an accident, a damage of this nature, and [people] will not be alone in this tragedy,” Maynez added.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he was sending “a hug to family members, friends of the victims and political supporters”.
Mexico is heading towards its largest election in history on June 2 after months of campaigning blighted with political violence and assassinations.
In total, more than 20,000 positions are being contested.
A survey by Mexican political consultancy firm Integralia said that over 200 civil servants, politicians and candidates had been so far murdered or threatened in the lead-up.
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